Quick Cucumber Salad Recipe: Almost Like Grandma’s

I’m willing to bet if I asked you to rattle off one or two of the best dishes your grandma makes, you’d be able to do it with little hesitation. Grandmas just tend to offer something a little extra special to everything they do — especially in the kitchen. I have a number of favorites I can think of that both of my grandmothers made, and continue to make, that just make me feel at home. There’s really nothing like Grandma Mac’s spaghetti and meatballs and sugar cookies, or Grandma Pulvermacher’s cheesy potatoes and famous cranberry salad (in the green dish) at every family gathering.

Another dish I can remember Grandma P making, mostly in the summer, is a creamy cucumber salad. It was light, sweet and awesomely refreshing — pretty good day for a vegetable, in my book. Now, while Grandmas certainly have a knack for the delicious, they don’t always combine that with recipes that are easy on the waistline. Her tasty cucumber salad had a dressing made of, to my knowledge, sugar and mayonnaise, which is what made it so sweet and creamy.

I wanted to recreate a version of this salad that I could eat on the daily without having to worry about any of the extras that would impact my fitness goals. So many people are emotional eaters, myself included — when I get stressed. There’s just something about food that helps bring us back to place of calm, so we can all use a couple healthy recipes in our arsenal that give us a connection to memories or relationships with people who mean the most! This quick cucumber salad recipe won’t do any nutritional damage to your eating plan or overall goals. Let’s get to it!

Quick Cucumber Salad Recipe

Ingredients

2-3 Fresh Cucumbers

1 c. Red Onion

3-4 Sprigs of Dill

1/4 c. White Wine Vinegar

2-3 packets of Stevia (or to taste)

1. Our first step is to slice up the cucumbers. I like mine peeled, so that’s my first step, but you can live the skin on, if you’re into that. I cut them in half length-wise before slicing them thinly and putting them in a mixing bowl.

2. Next we’re going to slice up our red onion. I like mine sliced very thin so the onion hit isn’t so intense within the salad once it’s all together, especially since they’re raw. Once you have those ready to go, mix them in with the cucumbers. You want to make sure they’re integrated evenly for the same reason you don’t want big chunks of red onion floating around in there. They’ll getcha if you’re not careful. I’ve made this recipe with white/sweet onions as well, which works, but I like the taste and color the red onion adds to the overall picture.

3. Next is the dill – chop it up finely and mix in with the cucumbers and onions (Still with me? It’s easy, I know).

4. Remember G-ma’s sugary, mayo-y, delicious dressing? This is where we switch things up. All you need is White Wine Vinegar (or your favorite kind) and a few packets of Stevia (or sweetener of your choice). Throw those in a smaller, separate bowl, and give them an enthusiastic whisking — a minute should do. You can also use liquid Stevia, if you prefer. You’ll want to give it a taste after you mix it, so you can get an idea of how sweet or vinegar-y you’d like it to be. Once that’s done — pour it over the cucumber/onion/dill mixture and stir that puppy up.

5. Once you have the dressing evenly distributed throughout the salad, you’ll want to transfer it from the bowl to a Tupperware container with a tight-fitting lid. This salad tastes best after it’s had some to chill (we all need time to chill, right?) and integrate all of the flavor. When I take this out of the fridge to eat, I always give it a good shake to make sure the dressing is redistributed, as it has a tendency to settle at the bottom. This is why you’ll be happy you have a tight-fitting lid 🙂

Quick Cucumber Salad Recipe: Final Steps

As you probably noticed, this quick cucumber salad recipe is ridiculously easy to throw together. I love it, and eat it almost every day, especially during the summer months. I have a much harder time getting excited for warm vegetables when it’s hot out, so this is the perfect go-to when I’m not in the mood for a traditional salad. You could also give this a go as a potluck dish — there’s always somebody out there who’s looking for something a little more health conscious than taco dip and pasta salad, right?

This is also very food-prep friendly, as it will be fresh and tasty for 3-4 days…though mine never lasts that long. If you need some more food prep tips be sure to check out these helpful ideas and tips to help you be prepared during the week.

Finally, make sure you give your grandma a call, if you’re still lucky enough to have her around, and tell her you love her. Heck, tell her to check out this quick cucumber salad recipe and leave a comment on whether she’d make it or not! We can all use a little more grandma time in our lives 🙂 If your grandma’s not around to leave a comment, we’d love to hear from YOU if you gave the recipe a try, or if you tried any variations! Let us know!

10 Responses

I think that your post is very eye-catching and informative. It almost gives you the feeling of being in a kitchen full of tantalizing aromas of fresh produce and spices (which I love). Your visuals are great and thanks for the recipe, I can’t wait to try this. Excellent work!